Letter from the families of three lawyers and civil activists to the heads of the three branches of government: "Why are our loved ones still in solitary confinement?"

It has been more than three weeks since a number of lawyers and civil society activists were arrested in Tehran. Despite the issuance of an indictment and the referral of the case to the Tehran Revolutionary Court, Mostafa Nili, Arash Keykhosravi, and Mehdi Mahmoudian are still being held in solitary confinement in Ward 241 of Evin Prison under the surveillance of the judiciary's intelligence protection.

The families of these three citizens wrote a letter to the President, the Head of the Judiciary, and the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, in which they pointed out that the credentials, sentence, and institution of the arresters were not clear and said, “Despite the verbal announcement of the respected investigator of Branch 2 of the Evin Prosecutor’s Office that the investigation has been completed, the indictment has been announced, and they have been introduced to the court, our children, lawyer Arash Keykhosravi, lawyer Mostafa Nili, and civil activist Mehdi Mahmoudian, are still in solitary confinement without the right to contact their family or have a trusted lawyer to defend themselves.”

According to HRANA news agency, citing Emtaed, the families of Arash Kaykhosravi, Mostafa Nili, and Mehdi Mahmoudian wrote a letter to the heads of the three branches of government, demanding transparency regarding the arrest of these citizens.

Part of the letter, noting that the families have “tried all avenues of legal action by referring and submitting their complaints to the People’s Office of the Judiciary, the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office, the Tehran Judicial Protection Office, and the Evin Prosecutor’s Office,” states: “We have only received one answer: everything in temporary detention depends on the investigator of the case and we have no right to interfere. So where is the place of the supervisory institutions? Unless the investigation is over and the case has been referred to court, then why are our loved ones still in solitary confinement?”

The full text of this letter follows:

"Honorable Head of the Judiciary"
Dear President,
Honorable Chairman of the Islamic Consultative Assembly

With regards and regards

Our story is very simple. In a country governed by the constitution, a few citizens, using their right to sue and within the framework of the law and faith in its implementation by the executors, intended to file a complaint with the judiciary after reviewing the laws and assessing the possibilities, and to demand an investigation and identification of the factors that led to the failure to control the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused the increasing death toll of their compatriots. Of course, they intended to, and before any action or action, when they were in a meeting to interact and brainstorm, they were attacked and detained by an unknown institution with an unknown warrant and authority. Despite the passage of 25 days and the release of a number of companions and the verbal announcement by the respected investigator of Branch 2 of the Evin Prosecutor's Office that the investigation had been completed and the indictment announced and presented to the court, our children, lawyer Arash Kaykhosravi, lawyer Mustafa Nili, and civil activist Mehdi Mahmoudian, are still in solitary confinement without the right to contact their families or have a trusted lawyer to defend themselves.

We, the families, are simple citizens committed to the current laws of the country. It is not permissible for us to be subjected to contradictory news, biased scenarios, pressure, threats, and psychological manipulation while being completely unaware of the situation of our loved ones.

Because we believe in the rule of law, we have gone through all avenues of litigation by referring and submitting our complaints to the People's Office of the Judiciary, the Tehran Prosecutor's Office, the Tehran Judicial Protection Office, and the Evin Prosecutor's Office. We have only received one answer: in temporary detention, everything depends on the investigator of the case and we have no right to interfere. So where is the place of the supervisory institutions? Unless the investigation is over and the case has been referred to court, then why are our loved ones still in solitary confinement?

We are left with thousands of uncertainties, concerns, and doubts, and one big unanswered question: Isn't filing a complaint and appealing to the responsible authority and requesting an investigation the same as enforcing the law?

If our understanding is correct, we ask that you be generous and advocate for elderly and sick mothers and worried family members.

"Thank you in advance for your kindness and attention."

It is worth noting that on August 13, 9 lawyers and civil society activists, including Arash Keykhosravi, Mostafa Nili, Mehdi Mahmoudian, Mohammad Reza Faghihi, Mohammad Hadi Erfanian Kassab, Maryam Afrafraz, and Leila Heydari, were arrested during a meeting at the office of the Association for the Protection of Citizens' Rights in Tehran.

Among these individuals, Mohammad Hadi Erfanian, a businessman, and Leila Heydari were released hours after their arrest, while Mohammad Reza Faghihi, a lawyer, and Maryam Afrafaraz, a civil activist and member of the Imam Ali Society, were released on September 27.

Meanwhile, the arrest of Maryam Afrafaraz and Mustafa Nili took place while both of these citizens had recently completed their quarantine period due to COVID-19 and were not in good physical condition. Maryam Afrafaraz was also solely responsible for recording the proceedings as the meeting secretary.

Despite the issuance of an indictment, the sending of the case to the Revolutionary Court, and the end of the interrogation process, Mustafa Nili, Arash Keykhosravi, and Mehdi Mahmoudian are still being held in solitary confinement in Ward 241 of Evin Prison under the surveillance of the judiciary's intelligence protection.

Source: HRANA